After 1995, increases in acoustic activities, especially in offshore petroleum exploration by the Minerals Management Service and various U.S. Navy projects, required more of NMFS than processing permit requests. Planning, coordination, review, and outreach were required. By 1998, it was no longer possible to manage acoustic problems on an ad hoc basis. The NMFS Office of Protected Resources added a person to the acoustics team to attend to programmatic matters and to convene a workshop to gather information for new acoustic criteria (needed to define "takes" from acoustic sources). A brief report of these two activities follows.

 Acoustics Program Outline: A survey of the acoustics policy within NMFS showed that the following actions were needed:

• draft acoustic criteria to clearly define acoustic "takes" under the MMPA;
• construct a network for monitoring ocean noise on a global basis;
• provide contact with other agencies, industry, professional societies environmental NGOs, and news media on acoustic matters;
• outline research that is needed to improve guidelines or regulations on acoustics; and
• obtain additional funding for all programmatic aspects of the acoustics program, including research.

Elements of the NMFS acoustics program are being integrated into the small take program, scientific research permits, and other NMFS protected species programmatic responsibilities and functions. In addition, the team is involved in an international effort to standardize acoustic practices in offshore petroleum exploration activities.

Acoustic Criteria Workshop: Defining what types of sounds cause "takes" in marine mammals and endangered species is the single most pressing need in acoustics. Writing these definitions has been hampered by the fact that hearing ability has only been described for ten species of marine mammals and one species of marine turtle. Even less is known about the harmful effects of intense sound on these hearing structures and about how sound affects the behavior of marine animals. Without such information, some of which is unpublished or in the "gray" literature, it is difficult to write appropriate acoustic criteria. To gather as much information as possible, the Office of Protected Resources convened a workshop of acoustic experts in September 1998 to ascertain the "best available" science in this field at that time.

A panel of ten acoustics experts met for two and one half days to answer specific questions posed to them by the NMFS acoustics team. The general public was invited to attend and to also address the panel. The discussions were taped for later production of a verbatim transcript, although no summary report was written or planned. The acoustic criteria are presently being drafted based on the workshop results and other information from the field of animal acoustics.

Current requests under the MMPA small take authorization program that involve acoustic issues:
A proposed rule regarding application from the U.S. Navy requesting a Letter of Authorization for the take of marine mammals by harassment incidental to operations of the SURTASS LFA sonar published in the Federal Register on March 19,2001 (66 FR 15375).  For more information about SURTASS LFA and the U.S. Navy’s request, visit the 4^th Quarter 2000 MMPA Bulletin.

Photo credit: NMFS file photo